The Phoenix Effect
As someone who spends most days extolling the virtues and potential of rejuvenated town centres, it always saddens me when I come across those which are struggling. And nowhere currently fits into that category more than Doncaster. The local press recently almost gleefully reported how shoppers are frightened off going into the town centre by “druggies and beggars” (see weblink here). The place has become, they suggest, something of a “Wild West”. The uncomfortable truth remains though, even if we put the salacious language to one side, that Doncaster’s core is not working as it should.
A classic 20th century development solution put a shopping centre centre right next to the town’s well-used (in non-Covid times, at least) railway station on the East Coast Main Line. Fine in the middle of the day when the centre is fully let, but as voids have appeared and outside shopping hours, rail travellers and commuters pass through a ghost town.
And this is despite the South Yorkshire town having a population of around 110,000 people (that figure from the last census, admittedly a decade ago). In other words, we’re not talking about a small provincial location that has simply withered on the vine. In fact, some parts of Doncaster are performing far more resiliently.
Out of town retail parks, for example, have been solid. There has been transport investment, including the recently opened Unity Way (to the former Hatfield Colliery regen site) and the Great Yorkshire Way, linking the M18 with Doncaster Sheffield Airport. Just before the pandemic hit, the airport itself announced a £10m expansion plan, though a direct rail link has recently been rejected. The town is an established national distribution centre, with the international railport a conspicuous success.
So, if the outskirts are performing better, why is the centre struggling? Part of the problem is undoubtedly structural. A classic 20th century development solution put a shopping centre centre right next to the town’s well-used (in non-Covid times, at least) railway station on the East Coast Main Line. Fine in the middle of the day when the centre is fully let, but as voids have appeared and outside shopping hours, rail travellers and commuters pass through a ghost town. And then the issues that have affected so many UK towns – deprivation, decline and decay – have taken hold here with a vengeance.
Does that mean I’m gloomy about Doncaster’s prospects? Actually, no. Sheffield town centre, not that far away, was knocked for six when Meadowhall opened, yet it is now a textbook regeneration success story. Other locations, including Swansea, Nottingham and Coventry, are in the process of giving their town centres a new lease of life.
It’s what I call the Phoenix Effect. But unlike the mythical bird the results are very real. And it can be achieved through the dedicated application of just four factors: vision, ready projects, catalyst occupiers and environment. It does, however, require determined partnership between public and private sectors and a willingness to accept that things may need to be done differently than they have been in the past.
What encourages me about Doncaster is a real sense of civic resilience. Having been turned down no less than three times, the town is likely to once again bid for city status to coincide with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee next year. The proposals talk positively about retaining talent, creating jobs and winning investment – there is no sign of giving up here. Better still, regardless of the outcome on city status, Doncaster has, in its own words, a bold but realistic masterplan that is firmly focused on the town’s core, but also acknowledges its place within the Sheffield City Region. This is all as it should be. And that is why I can see no reason why Doncaster can’t be the next town to enjoy the Phoenix Effect. And that will bring with it a sustainable town centre that will generate much happier headlines.
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After a full-on 12 months P-THREE Perspectives is taking a break during August and will then return twice-monthly. We launched Perspectives at a time when travel and opportunities for face to face meetings were limited. Now that Covid restrictions are easing, we believe the time is right to alter the frequency of Perspectives to match the changing pattern of our working lives, while we remain committed to bringing you our trademark pithy, provocative and pertinent thought leadership.
The whole P-THREE team wishes you a very chilled summer.
Article by Hannah McNamara, Co-founder P-THREE
Photo credits: Wikipedia
